With a second-round victory at the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas, Antron Brown clinched his second NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Top Fuel championship.
Brown, who entered the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs as the No. 2 seed, then won the first three events of the playoffs, clinched the title when his teammate, Tony Schumacher, was defeated in the second round of eliminations at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Brown’s Don Schumacher Racing/Matco Tools dragster was able to beat Dave Connolly in his heat.
Brown made history in 2012 when he won his first Mello Yello world championship to become the first African-American NHRA world champ and first black driver to win a major U.S. auto racing championship title.
“It’s definitely a lot better feeling when you have control of your own destiny with your team,” said Brown, whose 2012 title was won with him on the sidelines after an early defeat at the season finale. “It feels good to be racing for it and not standing on the sidelines watching it. That’s been a true blessing. Our guys have worked so hard this year and it feels good to see it come to fruition.”
Brown and crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald earned several big wins during the regular season, including the tradition-rich NHRA Summernationals at Raceway Park in New Jersey. His team moved into playoff form with a convincing win at Sonoma Raceway during the famed NHRA Western Swing. At Brainerd, he earned a 20-point bonus for setting the national E.T. record at 3.680 seconds. He opened the Countdown Playoffs with a flurry, taking consecutive victories at Charlotte, St. Louis and Reading to build a lead in the playoffs.
